Wednesday, September 2, 2015

"Life is a journey. Not a destination. There are no mistakes. Only chances we've taken."-India.Arie

When it comes to life, it seems to me there are two different types of people. There are journey people and there are destination people. This came to me on a recent trip to the beautiful city that is Toronto (BTW, I will be moving there if either Donald Trump or Kanye West get elected).

Destination people walk around with a focus on a goal, a particular emphasis on the next move. Destination people also become unnerved when they are uncertain of that next move. Journey people, on the other hand, may move at a slower pace as they enjoy experiencing the world around them. While walking around with friends in Toronto, I realized that I am way more of a journey person than I initially thought while I tend to surround myself with destination people. As my friends maintained a fast pace keeping on schedule, I took the time to observe the beauty of the people and places surrounding me.

At one point, I believe I was a destination person and my life had a beautiful outline. Here's the script if you will: Graduate from prestigious HBCU. Work in newspapers and move up the ranks to editor. Make a difference with my work. Somewhere in there find someone who is compatible with me and settle down between the ages of 28 to 32 so that my future child will be 18 when I turn 50, meaning that I still could have some fun with my life.

Well I got the job in newspapers and found myself unfulfilled, if not downright sick at times. So I went to library school, received a Master's degree and now work as a cataloging librarian. But I am 33, single with no future companion in sight and without children and unsure if I am even meant to be a mother. But the funny thing is I can't say that I am not content or that my life is unfulfilling. In several avenues of my life, I can point to where I am making a difference in myself, those close to me and my community. And I'm doing it in ways that I never imagined. And I'm not so focused on what's next. Yes, there is room for improvement in some areas of my life, but I'm not so worried about that.

Right now, I am enjoying the journey and the randomness that is coming with it.